Grace’s Alexis Larimore, left, and Bethany Blackwood were named Crossroads League Players of the Week. Photos provided

Press Release

AVON, Ohio – Grace soccer swept the Crossroads League Player of the Week awards, while Kyle Mangas won his second straight hoops award of the young season.

Alexis Larimore and Bethany Blackwood combined to grab three Player of the Week awards for Grace’s women’s soccer team on Monday.

Larimore was the Crossroads League Offensive Player of the Week, while Blackwood was the league’s Defensive Player of the Week. Blackwood was also named the NCCAA National Defender of the Week.

Larimore was busy for Grace, racking up four goals and an assist. She scored the game-winning goal to beat Bethel, then added a hat trick (and an assist) in the Crossroads League Tournament quarterfinals against St. Francis.

Blackwood extended her shutout streak to four straight after picking up two more shutouts last week. She blanked both Bethel (1-0) and St. Francis (6-0). She has now played 367 consecutive minutes without surrendering a goal.

Next up, the Lady Lancers will face No. 24 Spring Arbor in the semifinals of the CL Tournament. The match in Michigan kicks off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

After an upset win in the Crossroads League Tournament, Grace’s men’s soccer team swept the weekly Player of the Week awards.

Ulisses Miranda was the league’s Offensive Player of the Week, and Joe Bowles was the Defensive Player of the Week.

Additionally, Miranda was also named the NCCAA National Player of the Week for his contributions.

Miranda came up clutch for Grace, recording two goals and two assists across a pair of must-win games for the Lancers. Miranda had either a goal or an assist in every match, including two goals and an assist to beat Mt. Vernon Nazarene in the quarterfinals of the Crossroads League Tournament.

Bowles made seven saves for Grace in a pair of victories. He had four saves in a shutout of Marian, and he picked up three more saves to help Grace upset Mt. Vernon Nazarene in the league tourney.

The Lancers will hope to replicate their upset trend when they take on second-seeded Indiana Wesleyan on the road Wednesday (7 p.m.).

Mangas stayed red-hot for the unbeaten Wildcats, averaging 27.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.7 steals and 1.3 blocks in a trio of wins for No. 3 Indiana Wesleyan. The All-American shot 69.2 percent from the floor, 61.5 percent from deep and was 20-for-20 from the free throw line.

On top of the Crossroads awards, Grace’s Bryan Hernandez-Rios was recognized as the NCCAA National Athlete of the Week.

Hernandez-Rios earned All-Conference recognition at the 2020 Crossroads League Championships. He ran 26:02 to place 15th in the highly competitive field.

The Lancers placed fifth in the race, which officially wrapped up the fall cross country season.